Since its independence in 1991 Tajikistan has suffered a painful series of political crises followed by a civil war, still continuing, whose repercussions extend far beyond its borders. This work examines the causes of the turmoil, and analyses, through the case of Tajikistan, social and political dynamics at work throughout Central Asia. The book is the work of eleven Central Asian experts from different disciplinary backgrounds, and provides new insight into questions as varied as clan and local identity, the political construction of ethnicity and the role of peacekeeping forces.

Since its independence in 1991, Tajikstan has suffered a series of political crises followed by a civil war, whose repercussions extend far beyond its borders. This work examines the causes of the turmoil, and analyzes, through the case of Tajikstan, social and political dynamics at work through Central Asia. It offers insight into questions as varied as clan and local identity, the political construction of ethnicity and the role of peacekeeping forces. The first part deals with the difficulty of building a national identity. It traces the slow and incomplete creation of Tajikstan during the Soviet period, assesses "perestroika's" unsettling effect on local power balances, and discusses the struggle between the old oligarchy and the new elites which have tried to emerge since independence. The second part deals with foreign influences on the conflict, with studies of the roles of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan, as well as the potential impact of the conflict on the stability of the rest of Central Asia. The third part examines the traumatic humanitarian and human rights consequences of Tajikstan's fall from the tightrope of post-Soviet transition.